Blog #5: Republican Motherhood

 What role did the Revolutionary War play in the transformation of housewifery to Republican Motherhood?

Women were taught through the revolutionary war a sense of duty and self sacrifice in the name of this great nation. As this happened the image of a women changed from housewife to the person that instilled American values into children, and gave them a newfound respect in the community as they were seen as Patriots. Women were also made literate in order to educate their children (Doc C).

1.      What were the consequences of Republican Motherhood on women?

      Republican Motherhood also ingrained in the mind that women should stay in the household to provide the most service to the country. (Doc A). It encouraged women to get an education but it was still too minimal (Doc B). Although it helped women in some ways, it also infatuated the idea that women should stay at home.

1.      What is the significance of the ideology of Republican Motherhood as a stage in the process of women’s socialization?        
        
      Women were now literate and as such became more knowledgeable about many things. Republican Motherhood also placed an emphasis on socialization of women, by saying that the, "influence of women is not limited to the domestic circle. Society is her empire", which created less of a stigma on women having friends and talking within her circle (Doc D).
        
 

      Describe the setting.

                                                                                                                                                                            
      It is a plain background without too much artwork or pizazz
     

1.     Who serves at the center of the portrait and why?  How does the woman look?  How is she “republican” rather than aristocratic?

      

       The center point is filled by a mother of two children. She is at the center because she is the center of the household, and she is bigger than her children to show how she supports and cares for her children, She is dressed in a simple gray dress, that is pretty.  She is republican because of this simple yet pretty attire, and because she is taking care of her children, something that isn't common in Britain and is instead outsourced to a nurse.I chose Freedom From Want By Norman Rockwell because I believe it symbolizes a family with the basic necessities, a table full of food and themselves. This ties in with Universal Declaration of Human Rights by FDR, in which one of the clauses states the freedom from want, which basically means that everyone should have the right to have all their needs fulfilled. This is similar to Republican Motherhood which emphasizes living a simple yet nice life.